A Heritage Victoria recommendation to the Heritage Council of Victoria not to include the Civic Hall on the State’s Heritage Register is the subject of a Registration Hearing in Melbourne today.  The City of Ballarat is presenting the case that the site should be allowed to be redeveloped as the Civic Hall building does not have intrinsic heritage value.

The Registration Hearing is the final step in adopting the recommendation made by the Heritage Council in October 2010 not to include the Civic Hall on the Victorian Heritage Register.

In his 27 October 2010 recommendation into the heritage value of the Civic Hall, Heritage Victoria’s Executive Director, Jim Gard’ner stated ‘...The Ballarat Civic Hall is not of architectural, historical or social importance above a local level. It is therefore recommended that it not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register, but should be referred to the local government authority for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay of the City of Ballarat Planning Scheme.’  (Heritage Victoria report 27 October, 2010)

The Heritage Victoria recommendation prompted Ballarat Heritage Watch to lodge a formal objection with the Heritage Council of Victoria, which has in turn lead to today’s Registration Hearing.

Ballarat Mayor, Cr Craig Fletcher said that while Council remained fully committed to the redevelopment of the Civic Hall site it also recognised that today’s hearing was part of a full and transparent process which allowed concerned community members to have their say in the decision making process.

“Clearly some members of the Ballarat community feel strongly about the future of the Civic Hall.  Council respects their position and today’s hearing is part of a democratic planning process which Council has the utmost regard for”, Cr Fletcher said.

“Council is represented at the Registration Hearing today and will put its case strongly”.

Cr Fletcher said the City of Ballarat had not taken the decision lightly to redevelop the Civic Hall site and had been working with independent heritage experts to ensure its decision is informed and relevant.

“Throughout this process, we have been working closely with Lovell Chen, which is a contemporary architectural and heritage consultancy practice, an industry leader with more than 25 years experience,” he said.

Lovell Chen is one of the foremost experts in the country in relation to heritage assessments combining architects and designers with historians, researchers, materials experts and a range of other specialists.

Lovell Chen’s view is also consistent with that of Heritage Victoria - that the Civic Hall is not of State Heritage significance.

”Our position, that the Civic Hall should make way for a new development of the site, follows extensive research and discussions with independent heritage experts.  Council’s position is also consistent with expert advice that the Civic Hall is not of State importance and should not be included on the Victorian Heritage Register.

“We appreciate that people have fond memories of the Civic Hall but we are committed to delivering the best outcome in terms of community benefit, cost and further revitalising the CBD,” Cr Fletcher said.

“If we are to be responsible managers of our City we have to consider the expert recommendations that the venue no longer meets the community’s needs.”

Cr Fletcher said Council would continue to keep the community informed as the project progresses.

“We are keen to see this project move forward, as are many members of the community” he said.  

It is expected the findings from the tribunal hearing will take up to 4 weeks.